Darryl Ehnes of Shakespeare looks through the death register from Trinity Lutheran Church, Sebastopol following the Speaker Series presentation by Guelph Museum Curator Bev Dietrich on Wednesday evening, October 9, 2013. Behind are Mary Ann Krantz, Karen Erb, Bev Neeb and Craig Wilker.

Victorian era funeral traditions were steeped in superstition and were sometimes downright ridiculous. Just before the turn of the 20th century, you might pay $8.00 for an economical funeral or $85 for a high class event. It seems like the biggest difference was the number of horses used and the number of plumes in their harness. From the length of the mourning period to the type of jewellery worn, there are many aspects of Victorian funeral customs that have set the stage for today’s traditions.

Bev Dietrich, curator of the Guelph Civic Museum, was the guest at a Speaker Series event held at Grace United Church on Wednesday evening, October 9, 2013 sponsored by the Tavistock and District Historical Society. She outlined the content of one of their current displays entitled Till Death Do Us Part: Mourning Rituals.

In the late 1800’s, purchasing an inexpensive funeral included a hearse with one horse, a mourning coach with one horse, an elm coffin covered in black with handles, mattress, pillow and side sheets, a coachman with a hat band and gloves, and an attendant with a silk hat band. The large funeral had four horses, two mourning coaches with four horses, 23 plumes of ostrich feathers, and velvet coverings. One report from that time states that a quarter of all money invested in banks or burial clubs was set aside for funerals. “Many individuals had more money spent on them dead than when alive,” she said.

The Victorian Era, Queen Victoria’s reign, from 1839 to 1901, saw many changes in society, but funerals seemed to take on the greatest transformations. “During the early 19th century death was a very common occurrence. Three out of twenty babies died before their first birthday and those who survived infancy had a life expectancy of only 42 years. Once death occurred, the entire house stopped and took up mourning. Windows were closed, blinds were drawn, clocks were stopped and the mirrors were covered,” Ms. Dietrich explained.

Mourning had two stages - deep or full mourning and half mourning. Each stage had its own rules and customs, from the length of time for each individual involved, to the type of clothing they were expected to wear. Etiquette books abounded with requirements spawned by the death of the Queen’s husband, Prince Albert in 1861. Some tailor businesses specialized in black mourning clothes and dresses. An ad from a Guelph establishment in 1887 had a catchy phrase - “We Dye to Live,” a reference to dying material to black on short notice.

Similar to Queen Victoria, who took mourning to the limits and dressed in black her entire life, other widows followed her lead. Jet, a hard, coal-like material, was mined off the coast of Whitby, England, and was a mecca of activity in those days producing black jewellery and mourning beads. Hair wreaths were another oddity. Human hair was never thrown away, but kept in a spool and later fashioned into elaborate wreaths, usually in a horseshoe shape, open to the top. They could be incorporated into a shadowbox or frame for viewing. Curls were also placed in a brooch on the back of a photograph of the deceased.

Coffin or casket? The two words are interchangeable today, but back then, they were altogether different. A coffin was shaped like the body - wider at the shoulders and narrow at the feet - and the term originated in the16thcentury.Thewordcasket was originally used to describe a box used to store jewellery and other valuables. Around the mid 19th century, casket became synonymous with coffin epitomizing the sense of worth of the departed. It is thought that the word casket was adopted as a substitute when coffin was deemed an offensive term. “The main difference between a coffin and a casket,” Ms. Dietrich said, “is essentially just the shape.”

Probably the biggest change in funeral traditions was the establishment of funeral parlours. Most funerals were held at the home of the deceased and details taken care of by the family. During the 19th century, furniture makers began taking on the responsibility for arranging the funeral. They would “undertake” to manage all funeral details and provide all the embellishments considered necessary. The best room in the house had been called the parlour, and that is where the loved one was put on display before burial. In a conscious attempt to disassociate their homes with funeral parlours, people soon began to refer to their best room as the “living room.”

The practice of embalming was not popular in North America until the Civil War in order that soldiers could be sent home for burial. Abraham Lincoln was embalmed to give his countrymen a final chance to mourn a very popular president. His body went on a 2-week funeral train tour that was over 1,600 miles and stopped at some 400 train When formaldehyde replaced arsenic for the purpose of embalming, increased education resulted in more undertakers being added to the profession. As a result, the Funeral Service Association was formed in Canada in 1921.

Ms. Dietrich went on to describe the use of coffin plaques, coffin alarms, stationery, flowers, and the popularity of death photography. Some of the superstitions mentioned included carrying the body out of the house feet first. If it was carried out head first, it could look back and beckon others to follow it into death. Wearing black prevented the ghost of the deceased from haunting the living. The ghost couldn’t see the person dressed in black.

Ms. Dietrich was introduced and thanked by Sherrill Calder who, as the daughter of a funeral director, offered her own witty musings on the profession. She made note of some tombstone messages that she found entertaining. One New Mexico marker for Johnny Yeast stated, “Pardon me for not rising.” One headstone identifiying the deceased as an atheist read, “All dressed up and no place to go.”

About twenty-four people attended the session which also held a display of local funerary items. A funeral director’s bowler hat and a woman’s head covering were tangible reminders of past traditions. An embalming chemical dilutions chart was also on display as well as church death notice records that stated the cause of death, from old age to Typhoid and Scarlet fever. Questions and fellowship followed the formal part of the evening.

The Historical Society’s next Saturday opening, October 19th, will feature the theme of “Veterans.” The Museum/ Archives is open 1-4 p.m. at 37 Maria Street in Tavistock. Donations welcome. For more information go to www.tavistockhistory.ca.